I ran a 32 for years but recently went to a 34 as I feel it gives me a wider range of gearing options. I do some gravel races were I was putting on a 32x15 and still could have used more gear inches. I like the 34 as I can cover all the types of riding I do from extremely hilly to flat and fast. With your hilly and steep terrain you could run a 34x20 or 22 perhaps. I run 8 speed chains as I have never had one snap so have just stuck with it. I also run an absolute black oval but that is another discussion.

If you ride rocky terrain, you could consider getting a bashguard and the smallest ring you can find, for more BB clearance. Your ratio is quite low. You could go as small as 22T, which can be geared as high as 22-12 (1.83) or as low as you want. 22-14 would get you 1.57 ratio, same as what you are using now. Few less links on the chain and a few grams saved from smaller cog/ring to offset the added weight of a bashguard.

Here is the ring I just got for Sram direct mount, with integrated bash guard.

I run 28x18 normally, its a weird choice, but it works out to be just between 32x21 and 32x20, or very close to 34x22. It's spinny but I hate walking, have never been able to 'mash' big slow cadence, and often ride with geared riders who granny-down at hills so I stall out on 32xteens.

I have never had an issue with wear (RF rings and Surly cogs), or throwing the chain. It also fortuitously works out that I can pull the sliders way forward, vs 34x22 where they're way back.

If you ride rocky terrain, you could consider getting a bashguard and the smallest ring you can find[/URL]

politely disagree; ditch the bashguard! the chain will slide over most stuff it makes contact with just fine. but if your hitting your ring a lot i'd say work on your technique. only time my chainring hits is when i mess up. That said our terrain is more big logs less big rocks...

i don't understand why folks replace old cranksets for a 1x conversion... you can simply buy a narrow wide ring with the same bcd and screw it on... I have that setup on two of my bikes (one of those bikes is gone now) and it worked with no issues...

as far as the ring size I would suggest whatever is the best deal in the range 30T-34T

If you ride rocky terrain, you could consider getting a bashguard and the smallest ring you can find, for more BB clearance. Your ratio is quite low. You could go as small as 22T, which can be geared as high as 22-12 (1.83) or as low as you want. 22-14 would get you 1.57 ratio, same as what you are using now. Few less links on the chain and a few grams saved from smaller cog/ring to offset the added weight of a bashguard.

Here is the ring I just got for Sram direct mount, with integrated bash guard.

Terrible idea IMO. I'm not a fan of micro-drive. Higher chain tension, faster wear, less chain retention, etc. I also agree the bashguard is unnecessary.

I run 34:20 with lots of punchy climbing, previously on 32:18. I'm also a big fan of oval chainrings so if your going with Wolftooth, give the oval version a try. I've also had good luck with Surly cogs, though I'm about to try two Endless cogs very soon.

those videos are cool! i def dont want to go lower than a 30 or 32 in the front. i suppose i am going to go with a 32x20. the 34/22 might be slightly too much and suspect i will spin out faster, a 34/20 is too tall. i think ill live out the rest if the season on a 32/20. wolf tooth does not appear to make a 21. i know there are other brands but ill keep it all the same this time.

i considered an oval ring. i guess its one of those things i just need to try for myself. does the oval affect chain tension at all?

I like my Absolute Black 34T oval and my 18 tooth WI freewheel, no guard, for a ratio that is good enough for the road and can be challenging at times on the trail. There is minimal change in the tension and the chain line is good, never dropped a chain.

I don't know why,... it's just MUSS easier to pedal than the other ones.

Terrible idea IMO. I'm not a fan of micro-drive. Higher chain tension, faster wear, less chain retention, etc. I also agree the bashguard is unnecessary.

I run 34:20 with lots of punchy climbing, previously on 32:18. I'm also a big fan of oval chainrings so if your going with Wolftooth, give the oval version a try. I've also had good luck with Surly cogs, though I'm about to try two Endless cogs very soon.

I guess it just depends on how you ride. I enjoy trying to trials my way over burly rocks and other obstacles, and having no bashguard limits what I'm able to comfortably attempt. If you are the type of rider that hike a bikes over hard stuff or avoids it entirely, hitting the chain ring is not really a concern so you don't need a bashguard.

I suppose there is merit to the argument that the microdrive will wear out your chain and cogs a little faster. It makes sense from a physics standpoint, but I have yet to see this. I set the chain tension the same on either setup, and if your chainline is straight and chain tensioned, you should have no dropped chains, ever, unless your frame is just too flexy. The benefits of this setup are more BB clearance and less weight. Again, if you don't attempt challenging stuff where hitting the chainring is a possiblity, you probably are find with a standard 32t ring and no guard.

politely disagree; ditch the bashguard! the chain will slide over most stuff it makes contact with just fine. but if your hitting your ring a lot i'd say work on your technique. only time my chainring hits is when i mess up. That said our terrain is more big logs less big rocks...

granted my skill set is firmly planted at about vid#1 but i aspire to vid#2

Those are cool videos, and precisely the reason why you would want a bashguard. If you are into challenging yourself and want to try surmounting larger obstacles, or weaving your way through large rock gardens, hitting your chainring happens. If you are not riding that challenging of stuff and never hit your ring, you are fine without.

For me, having no bashguard means reluctance to attempt anything that may result in a hitting the ring if I don't nail it, so it limits my riding. Even with a bashguard, I try not to use it, but it gives peace of mind that it's ok to go for it. Also, hitting logs is not nearly as likely to bend your ring or damage your chain than hitting rocks.

i hit my chain/chainring all the time (granted more on logs than rocks) never had a problem with the chain or a folded ring. you swap the chain out a couple times a year anyhow...

for me a bashguard is a solution for a non existent problem (think about it; how many of the new 1x bikes come with a bashguard).

they were useful in the olden days when you had a multi-iring setup and could get the chainrings teeth caught on something if you were not in the largest front ring. that will destroy a chainring fast (and send you into the dirt the bars when the teeth bite into a soft log and stop you in your tracks).

I guess it just depends on how you ride. I enjoy trying to trials my way over burly rocks and other obstacles, and having no bashguard limits what I'm able to comfortably attempt. If you are the type of rider that hike a bikes over hard stuff or avoids it entirely, hitting the chain ring is not really a concern so you don't need a bashguard.

I suppose there is merit to the argument that the microdrive will wear out your chain and cogs a little faster. It makes sense from a physics standpoint, but I have yet to see this. I set the chain tension the same on either setup, and if your chainline is straight and chain tensioned, you should have no dropped chains, ever, unless your frame is just too flexy. The benefits of this setup are more BB clearance and less weight. Again, if you don't attempt challenging stuff where hitting the chainring is a possiblity, you probably are find with a standard 32t ring and no guard.

Your so enduro bro!

You clearly don't understand what I mean by tension on the chain, I'm not going to bother explaining it to you.

You clearly don't understand what I mean by tension on the chain, I'm not going to bother explaining it to you.

Not sure what you mean there. Please share your infinite wisdom on a pleb like me.

As far as the microdrive causing more wear, sure the rollers have to move a little more to make it around the smaller gears. But does this cause any more added wear than a chain snaking back and forth through a derailleur? I just don't see this as being much of a concern. Like the other poster above mentioned, I change chains fairly often at $20 a pop, which is pennies in this hobby.

Then of course there is the skipping concern. Last time I checked, most street BMX guys are running 25-9 or similar, without any issues...is this really a concern on a proper single speed setup? If it were, they wouldn't use it, because a skipping chain could cause serious injury when attempting their stunts. And you can be sure that they put bursts of well over 1000 watts into their drivetrain, frequently. It's a non-issue with proper chain tension.

I see you and many others are strongly opposed to bash guards as being unnecessary, or perhaps even for less skillful riders.

Here's some kids who have leagues more bike handling skill than 99.8% of the posters on this forum will ever have. They ride single speed, no 3x drivetrain to protect, and every last one of them has a bashguard.

Again, it comes to how you ride. If you are a road-centric XC racer who likes to sit and spin like a madman and hikes over the tough stuff (or avoids it entirely), you are fine without. If you are more of a hard charger/adventurous type and like to attempt harder stuff where you might hit your ring if you don't execute perfectly, it's good to have. Of course there are several shades of gray between these two, but calling a 22t ring with integrated bash guard is a "terrible idea" may be just from your perspective and riding style.

I think micro drive starts to suck (clearly accelerated chain wear and lower efficiency) when you go below 14T on the cog. That's not going to happen with most bigger wheeled singlespeeds.

The reasoning behind my choice of parts:

1. The crankset is cheap and bulletproof. Forged, solid arms shaped so as to slow down fatigue cracks. Tabs are one piece with DS crank arm and they are beefy enough to carry loads from bashguard hits. Steel pedal thread inserts.

2. Minimalist, dedicated, reversible, cheap chainring, the only purpose of which is to hold up to wear from chain. Value is through the roof.

3. Dedicated (separate) bashguard to protect ring and chain, and add confidence for trying to get over hard obstacles. Just like what MF said. No matter how much I practice there's always a good chance to fail on a familiar obstacle.

4. The size of chainring. Minimum that 104 BCD can run without resorting to expensive chainrings, while letting the cog still be above micro drive size. A balance of ground clearance, efficiency, and value. And (thanks to frame design) I get the lowest effective chainstay length this way, too!

As an experiment (as in, I knew that steel ring with bashguard is better for me, but decided to risk it for the last time) I ran Truvativ AKA crankset with 28T MRP aluminum ring, which was the beefiest one I could find back in 2011, on the same bike. It was fine, except for chainring wear, until I messed up bunny hopping a boulder, and bent the ring.

These days though there's a 28T, thick, heavy, steel X-Sync ring being made by SRAM. I've got one waiting for a build.

Not sure what you mean there. Please share your infinite wisdom on a pleb like me.

As far as the microdrive causing more wear, sure the rollers have to move a little more to make it around the smaller gears. But does this cause any more added wear than a chain snaking back and forth through a derailleur? I just don't see this as being much of a concern. Like the other poster above mentioned, I change chains fairly often at $20 a pop, which is pennies in this hobby.

Then of course there is the skipping concern. Last time I checked, most street BMX guys are running 25-9 or similar, without any issues...is this really a concern on a proper single speed setup? If it were, they wouldn't use it, because a skipping chain could cause serious injury when attempting their stunts. And you can be sure that they put bursts of well over 1000 watts into their drivetrain, frequently. It's a non-issue with proper chain tension.

I see you and many others are strongly opposed to bash guards as being unnecessary, or perhaps even for less skillful riders.

Here's some kids who have leagues more bike handling skill than 99.8% of the posters on this forum will ever have. They ride single speed, no 3x drivetrain to protect, and every last one of them has a bashguard.

Again, it comes to how you ride. If you are a road-centric XC racer who likes to sit and spin like a madman and hikes over the tough stuff (or avoids it entirely), you are fine without. If you are more of a hard charger/adventurous type and like to attempt harder stuff where you might hit your ring if you don't execute perfectly, it's good to have. Of course there are several shades of gray between these two, but calling a 22t ring with integrated bash guard is a "terrible idea" may be just from your perspective and riding style.

I see a couple of bikes without bash gaurds in that video. They also don't have seats or front brakes

I'm sick of all the Irish stereotypes, as soon as I finish this beer I"m punching someone

Not sure what you mean there. Please share your infinite wisdom on a pleb like me.

As far as the microdrive causing more wear, sure the rollers have to move a little more to make it around the smaller gears. But does this cause any more added wear than a chain snaking back and forth through a derailleur? I just don't see this as being much of a concern. Like the other poster above mentioned, I change chains fairly often at $20 a pop, which is pennies in this hobby.

Then of course there is the skipping concern. Last time I checked, most street BMX guys are running 25-9 or similar, without any issues...is this really a concern on a proper single speed setup? If it were, they wouldn't use it, because a skipping chain could cause serious injury when attempting their stunts. And you can be sure that they put bursts of well over 1000 watts into their drivetrain, frequently. It's a non-issue with proper chain tension.

I see you and many others are strongly opposed to bash guards as being unnecessary, or perhaps even for less skillful riders.

Here's some kids who have leagues more bike handling skill than 99.8% of the posters on this forum will ever have. They ride single speed, no 3x drivetrain to protect, and every last one of them has a bashguard.

Again, it comes to how you ride. If you are a road-centric XC racer who likes to sit and spin like a madman and hikes over the tough stuff (or avoids it entirely), you are fine without. If you are more of a hard charger/adventurous type and like to attempt harder stuff where you might hit your ring if you don't execute perfectly, it's good to have. Of course there are several shades of gray between these two, but calling a 22t ring with integrated bash guard is a "terrible idea" may be just from your perspective and riding style.

There is increased friction as cog sizes decrease. I had a chart once but can't find it. Use the nine if you need it but you'd be better off if you just ride with a larger chainring.

They're definitely noisier, drag may be a little more but not enough to bother me.

Drag should only be slightly more if the chain line isn't perfect and the inner chain plates constantly touch the chainring.
Mine is pretty quiet, but I haven't run anything other than N/W on my single speeds.
Actually, my CX bike had a 38t normal ring, but the Singulator transmitted chain noise to the frame

^ yeah, if you started with a NW you may not really notice it as it's very minor in both cases. I only noticed it because it was a bike I was very familiar with and the only thing that changed was the chainring.